Fenghuang Peak was a wonderful place, with distinct seasons and sparse population. Primarily because Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze preferred tranquility—there were no servants, only diligent puppets.
It was early autumn, and waves of osmanthus fragrance refreshed the heart and mind. The abundant Spiritual Energy here even perked up the often-dazed Mu Zixiao. When she saw the puppets, her eyes lit up, captivated by their every movement.
Mu Zixiao was gradually understanding this world. If her original world developed around electrical energy as its core, this world revolved around Spiritual Energy. In her eyes, these puppets were no different from robots, except their energy came from spiritual power, and the operating arrays were equivalent to a robot’s chips.
“Come in.” Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze called out to Mu Zixiao, as she had been standing outside the hall for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, completely engrossed in watching the puppets.
Reluctantly, Mu Zixiao left the area where the puppets were active and entered the main hall.
At this moment, even Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze couldn’t help but reassess his new disciple. She seemed somewhat… special?
He asked out of the blue, “Do you know your master’s name, and what place Fenghuang Peak is?”
Mu Zixiao hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
“How much do you know about the Kunlun Sect?”
Mu Zixiao lowered her head.
Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze never expected that Mu Zixiao knew absolutely nothing. A trace of a crack appeared in his usually aloof expression.
It was no wonder Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze was slightly taken aback. This was equivalent to Mu Zixiao being admitted to one of the top three academies in the cultivation world and even achieving first place, yet not even knowing which school she had tested into. Was that normal?
Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze cleared his throat lightly. “Your master…” He pointed to a painting in the northwest corner of the hall, signed ‘Shi Junxi’.
Mu Zixiao nodded in understanding.
Her master’s name was Shi Junxi. Don’t embarrass him when going out.
“The Kunlun Sect is one of the three great sects in the cultivation world, excelling in Artifact Cultivation and Medical Cultivation. Fenghuang Peak is a blessed land left behind by the Ascended founding sect master. This hall is named Tianshu Hall. Enshrined within are six Formless Bones, the ultimate treasure of puppetry in the cultivation world. The Formless Bones can summon deities. Unfortunately, your master is a Medical Cultivator, so the founding master’s Formless Bones have no one to inherit them.”
Suddenly, Mu Zixiao looked up, her gaze burning with fervor as she looked at Shi Junxi. This level of enthusiasm wasn’t even present during her formal apprenticeship.
“The existence of the Formless Bones is known only to their inheritors. Even the Sect Leader himself only knows part of the truth, not the whole story. If you have the heart to inherit them, that would place you in the Artifact Cultivation lineage. Although I am not an Artifact Cultivator, the foundational techniques share some similarities. Your issue with the Five-Colored Mixed Spiritual Root could also be resolved. Are you willing?”
Why wouldn’t she be willing? This was essentially cultivating by making robots—her old profession! “No problem, no problem,” Mu Zixiao nodded repeatedly.
Shi Junxi patted the meditation cushion beside him, gesturing for her to sit.
Mu Zixiao was taken aback. She hadn’t expected her seemingly ethereal master, detached from worldly affairs, to not be as icy as he appeared. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat down beside Shi Junxi.
“What I tell you today is a secret of our lineage. You must not reveal even a sliver of it to others. Otherwise, death would be a minor concern. Having your soul searched, extracted, and being turned into a human artifact would be a fate worse than death.”
Mu Zixiao nodded, listening carefully to the instruction.
“The secret art of Kunlun Sect’s Fenghuang Peak is, in truth, a divine secret art of the Creator God race. This art has no name. I will simply transmit a wisp of divine thought to you. You will then sense it intuitively, and this art will manifest according to your will.”
As he spoke, Shi Junxi gently patted Mu Zixiao on the shoulder. Instantly, she felt a warm current spread from her shoulder throughout her entire body.
“The first layer of this secret technique is borrowing power. This inheritance is for summoning divine abilities and artifacts—both divine abilities and artifacts are unrestricted, summoned at will. The only requirement is the supply of spiritual power. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you can use it. The second layer is descent. This descent requires a body for descent and immense spiritual power, with difficulty divided into five tiers: illusory, human, demon, immortal, and divine. The power required also increases accordingly, but that is a matter for later.”
Suddenly, Shi Junxi patted her again, pulling her out of that profound and mysterious state of meditation.
Mu Zixiao was startled and shivered involuntarily.
Shi Junxi continued nonchalantly, “I noticed you were fascinated even by low-level puppets, so I thought you might have an interest in this path. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For now, you must start with Qi Induction and Body Entry.” As he spoke, Shi Junxi raised his hand, and a book on the foundational cultivation methods of the Kunlun Sect appeared beneath it.
“This book is the essential path for all cultivators of the Kunlun Sect, guiding them from Qi Induction and Body Entry to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Take a look at it. When you reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, I will go over the details of the secret technique with you.”
Mu Zixiao was deeply moved. Her master was imparting everything he knew from the very beginning. But learning must start with the basics, just as arithmetic begins with numbers. Mu Zixiao treasured the book on the foundational cultivation methods of the Kunlun Sect, eagerly accepting it and flipping to the first page without delay.
The first chapter was Qi Induction and Body Entry.
Shi Junxi had intended to advise her to study it slowly back in her quarters, but before he could even speak, Mu Zixiao followed the instructions in the chapter on Qi Induction and Body Entry and succeeded immediately. The speed of her success left Shi Junxi momentarily stunned.
Then, he watched as she began reading the Qi Refining techniques, flipping through the pages faster and faster. The circulation of spiritual power within her body also changed rapidly, becoming too dazzling to follow.
Little did Shi Junxi know that once Qi Induction and Body Entry was initiated, Mu Zixiao was like a device connected to a power source—Weike began operating at high speed, processing the information in the book and calculating various possibilities.
By the time Shi Junxi realized what was happening, he saw that she was experimenting with various cultivation methods! She was even testing countless possibilities for the circulation of Spiritual Energy!
Just as Shi Junxi was about to stop her reckless behavior, Mu Zixiao’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed straight to the ground, unconscious.
Shi Junxi frowned deeply, stood up, and half-knelt beside her. He lifted her with one hand and checked her pulse, his expression turning peculiar. Her soul was excessively powerful, to the point of being incompatible with her body?
Strangely, her body showed no signs of Soul Seizure. Yet, such a powerful soul was nearly at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, just a step away from the Golden Core stage?
How had she survived until now?
Her soul was operating too rapidly, overwhelming her body’s capacity to bear such a heavy burden.
This was a situation Shi Junxi had never heard of or witnessed before.
He couldn’t just abandon this newly accepted disciple. If she wanted to cultivate, she would undoubtedly need Celestial Spiritual Treasures to transform her body.
Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze, who had always scorned unorthodox methods like medicinal cultivation, never imagined that reality would one day force him to admit that some people were simply suited to such methods.
As a newly minted master, Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze never expected that on the very first day of taking on a disciple, he would face the immense challenge of nurturing her.